20201008 Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

 

 

Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

- evangelical poverty -

 

Today's 1st reading shows us a dramatic change. The change from Judaism to Christianity. 

 

Apostle Paul said we receive the holy spirit not from works of the law but from faith in what you heard. This scene shows the change form 'action of keeping the law' to ' listening and believing the Good new'. This change identifies Christianity's openness to all nation. and this change brought the execution and persecution by Jewish people.

 

Just before today's 1st reading, we can see a very interesting scene. Paul, Barnabas, John, James, and Peter had decided their mission target. Paul, Barnaba would go to other nations. John, James, and Peter would go to Jewish people. However sometime later, Paul publicly criticized Peter.

 

"Until some people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to draw back and separated himself, because he was afraid of the circumcised."(2,12)

 

Paul wanted to point out the closed mission mind of peter and his hypocrisy. From this, I can see the same circumstances that the Apostles had with what we have now. Every individual in the community has different opinions. They were disappointed by each other, and they criticised one another. They learned from their mistakes. Just like us now.

 

I found a very interesting and meaningful part that I have missed before. They all had different opinions and tastes, but they had one common promise that they all agreed.  After they decided their mission place, Paul said like this.

 

"Only, we were to be mindful of the poor, which is the very thing I was eager to do."(2,10)

 

To be mindful of the poor was the top priority for them that they can not forgive and that they can not have ant different opinion. To be mindful of the poor has been in the centre of our Christian spirit for last 2,000years.

 

 

Today's Gospel reminds us of what poverty is, what the poor life is, and invite us to reflect on it.

 

the meaning of Poverty can simply mean the state of not having enough money. But from the person we meet in today's Gospel we learn the spiritual meaning of poverty is the state of something in need.

 

Living a life of poverty can mean living without enough money. but also it can mean living with need.

Even though we can have 10,  choosing less than that. Even though we have a more convenient way but willingly stay away from it. Doing that for our neighbour. That is another spiritual meaning of poverty which today's Gospel invites us to think and reflect over again.

 

 

I and I guess you are also living a difficult community life. we are disappointed by each other. We hurt and hate one another sometimes. But from today's Gospel, we learn that is our life mean to be. and we are invited to live of poverty that we live that life for our brothers and sisters who are the poor, who are in need. Then we might have fewer conflicts in our community.